The comic artwork of Ryan Claytor.

In an effort not to bury the lead (as I am prone to do), let’s start with this little teaser.

I’ll come back to that shiny piece of recognition a little further down this post. For now, let’s rewind to the start of the day this past Saturday, which began around 4am for a couple of my cartoonist buddies (Jason Strutz and Daniel J. Hogan) and myself, as we all piled into my comics-mobile with a packing job that would have made Jay Jacot proud.

S.P.A.C.E. Director, Bob Corby, graciously offered these mini-signs for exhibitors to display on their table, should they so choose.

In the afternoon on Saturday, I took a break from my table to attend the 2014 S.P.A.C.E. Prize award ceremonies. (Confusing, I know. While the ceremony is held in 2015, it awards books turned-in the previous S.P.A.C.E., which were produced in 2014.)

A modest group congregated to recognize some great work being done in mini-comics, web-comics, and graphic novels.

So that was awfully flattering to receive, but there were plenty of great experiences throughout the weekend. I’ll try to recall a few. One was reconnecting with a reader of mine, named Flint, a fellow art teacher. He told me about this great incentive for his students where they trade trading cards of artwork, not only for one another’s art, but he includes art from professional practicing cartoonists he meets at shows like S.P.A.C.E. I was happy to draw something for him, and when he told me there were no themes or boundaries, my addled, sleep-deprived, brain came up with this.

Let’s hope whoever picks this card enjoys soccer and turnips.

Speaking of sleepless cartoonists, I also wanted to make a more official mention of my talented friends and ride-sharing partners who kept me awake and chortling throughout the weekend. Here’s Jason Strutz, illustrator extraordinaire.

Who definitely does not, under any circumstances, look like Jamie Hyneman.

There were also plenty of other fabulous people at this show who did not ride in my car. One such person was Jason Young of Veggie Dog Saturn fame. If you like my page-a-day autobio strips, I would wager you’d like his oddly-named autobio comics as well. I purchased a couple of his most recent books and found them relatable and insightful.

I mention him because he told me about this window display he curated in Mavericks, a comic book store in Kettering, OH where he works…

…that happened to feature my work alongside some heavy-hitter alternative cartoonists’ books. The display was showing off the fact that “comics come in all sizes,” and evidently my mini-comics were oddly shaped enough to make the cut. Thanks, Jason! 🙂

Speaking of non-fiction cartoonists, Robert Hendricks just finished his comic, “The Washington Tragedy,” chronicling the life of Daniel Sickles, a man climbing the political ladder in the years leading up to the Civil War and how his life changed dramatically.

Toward the end of the second day and final day of S.P.A.C.E., there was a presentation about an upcoming comic convention that looks quite promising.

They discussed their vision for the future of the show, an effort to make Columbus, OH a place that is synonymous with comics, and their impressive guestlist for their “trial” show in October (which includes Craig Thompson, Art Spiegelman, Jeff Smith, Jaime Hernandez, Dylan Horrocks and many more).

This news was a great way to end the convention weekend.

As usual, I had a blast at S.P.A.C.E. and arrived back home in Lansing late Sunday night exhausted and happy. I’ll certainly plan to return again next year. Hats off to Bob Corby for another show well done.